


By The Neck

by leebee511



Series: Whumptober 2020 [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, Hanging, Not Bad, Original Story - Freeform, Western AU, Whumptober, Whumptober 2020, it only goes down from here, shackles, slight whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:08:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26763358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leebee511/pseuds/leebee511
Summary: Nero never regretted what he has done in the past. It was always a 'Tomorrow' problem.Tomorrow came quicker than he thought.
Relationships: Nero deLuca (OC) & Theodore Clark (OC) & Salone Reyes (OC)
Series: Whumptober 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950394
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	By The Neck

**Author's Note:**

> Hell yeah, it's Whumptober 2020, baby! Finally, something right out of 2020, smh. 
> 
> This will be with my characters, cause I want to practice writing them!

Nero never regretted what he has done in the past. It was always a 'Tomorrow' problem.

Tomorrow came quicker than he thought. 

He groaned as the judge listed off his crimes. They seemed to go on forever. The crowd grew in front of the podium, waiting to execute the famed 'Dealmaker.' Loud mutterings rang through the crowd, some people yelling at the executioner to hurry up. He wasn't surprised; he deserved it. 

Nero spits the cigar out of his mouth, fiddling with the shackles on his wrists. They dug at his skin, despite the gloves on his hands. He cursed himself for not grabbing the thicker ones, clenching his teeth as he felt small welts of blood form. Pain radiated throughout his body, the events of yesterday finally catching up to him. The noose was placed roughly around his neck, and his head was yanked back by the executioner. He scoffed at the executioner, as he tilted his head, to keep the pressure off of his throat. 

Nero scanned the crowd for a familiar face. He met the eyes of Theodore, chuckling as the man tipped his hat towards the executioner. He had a plan. Theo whispered something to Salone, her lips quirking into a smile. Theo pointed to his wrists, while the saloon girl waltzed away, moving to her position. This was going to be interesting. 

The sheriff, Lucien Brunner, watched the exchange with a grim look in his eyes, his lackeys staring at the scene with varying degrees of boredom. Nero grinned at Lucien, his lips curling menacingly. Lucien's shoulders rose, realizing something was about to occur, and it wasn't going to be good. 

The executioner finally turned to him, "Any last words?" 

Nero smirked, "I do, in fact. You fuckers deserved it." 

The lever was pulled. 

Nothing can prepare you for the feeling of the ground going out beneath you. Nero didn't know what to expect. The air got sucked out of his lungs, and he panicked. The grating rope dug into his neck as he struggled to breathe. Nero choked, scrambling to fling his arms up. His hands grappled for the rope, burning his hands, but Nero slowed to a stop surprisingly. He gasped for breath as he held on for dear life. His wrists burned with the effort, but he gritted his teeth through the pain.

Nero risked a glance up. The executioner and the judge stared down at him, at a loss for words. Lucien ran up, his eyes widening as he saw the scene. The crowd was in an uproar, yelling and cursing wildly. He vaguely heard someone yell, "She has a gun!" before a bullet shot through the rope. It was severed immediately, and he fell ungracefully to the ground. Nero cursed as he landed on his leg wrong. Pushing himself against the walls, he grimaced as bullets hissed through the air. He was yanked to the side by Theo, who looked around for Salone. 

He hauled Nero up, pushing him towards the horses. Nero winced as it tugged at his wrists. He raced away from the scene, eager to get back to their camp. Theo jumped onto his horse behind him, pulling out his rifle and shooting those who tried to follow. Salone ran up beside them, hopping behind Theo. Nero whistled and grinned as Dixie tumbled out from the alleyway, the dog's tail wagging wildly. She barked excitedly, running to catch up. 

The clouds painted the desert in shadows, providing decent cover from the search group. It had been hours since the near-execution. The small team had set up a small camp, and the fire illuminated the small clearing. Nero fiddled with the bandages around his neck, while Dixie curled up next to him. Salone wiped down his wrists gently, her face shining in concern. "What the hell did you do? I've never seen someone mess up their wrists this much before." 

Nero shrugged, preferring not to speak. Salone sighed, wrapping the wound carefully. "You're lucky you didn't die back there. Please try not to get caught again, my heart can't take this stress." She shook her head at his lack of response before moving over to the fire. Theo watched him cautiously as he tied up the horses for the night. Nero sucked in a breath, shaking his hands slightly. He rubbed behind his dog's ears, watching as Theo walked up to him. He gave him a small smile, one that Theo doesn't give out often. "I'm glad you're ok, Nero." 

Nero blinked at him before grinning, "Thanks for the help out there." 

Theodore shook his head, chuckling. "But Salone's right. I don't think you need another near-death experience." 

Nero chuckled. "You got it, Theo."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Please leave some comments and kudos! Constructive criticism is appreciated!


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